Steam turbine efficiency assessment, first step towards sustainable electricity production

Abstract

The main objective of actual energy policies around the world is the transition to renewable energy. EIA forecasts nearly 50% increase in world energy usage by 2050, which is hard to achieve using only renewable energy. For year 2019 the electricity production in EU relies mainly on conventional thermal (42.8 %) and nuclear energy sources (26.7%). The accelerated transition to electrical cars puts more pressure on energy producers. As a result, in order to match the ever-growing demand of electrical energy, the conventional thermal energy generation will play a key role, among them coal-based production. In order to meet the environmental goals and for sustainable production of electrical power, energy assessment of power production of coal-based power plants must be performed. The purpose of this paper is to perform an energy assessment of the electrical power production, focusing on a key component of this, the steam turbine. The performance characteristics of the turbine in condensing operation were determined. A proper efficiency of the turbine will have a significant impact on sustainable production of electricity.